Chapter 3After the divorce, the president's wife was impoverished

I frowned in response, opened my phone, and sure enough, saw messages and several voice calls from the landlord.

I must have been too drunk to notice them.

Through our conversation, I learned Daphne had just quit her job too.

Watching her youthful, spirited pursuit of freedom, I felt genuine envy. When she learned I had just lost my job and ended a relationship, seeing the mess of empty bottles, she immediately spoke up.

"Ethan, how about we go see the ocean together! We hit it off so well, and we’re both newly unemployed, let’s celebrate our freedom!"

"I’ve been wanting to go to the beach! My friends don’t want to go with me, so you should come!"

I looked at her face, unable to remember the last time I wanted to see the sea. But isn’t life about living for those fleeting moments? Now that I’m unemployed, what’s there to fear? At least I won’t starve.

So, we went to the neighboring city to see the ocean.

Watching the waves wash over the sand and recede, I felt a rare sense of calm and began talking with her.

Daphne was naturally friendly, probably because she was recently a graduate, still lively and unburdened by years of workplace scheming and fatigue.

We talked from dawn till dusk, watched the sunset over the sea together, and her youthful dreams amazed me.

We decided to visit the neighboring city to see the ocean together.

As I watched the waves ebb and flow on the beach, I felt a rare sense of calmness wash over me, prompting me to start a conversation with her.

Daphne was naturally sociable and full of life, possibly because she was a recent graduate and hadn't yet been jaded by the workplace's stress and competition.

We talked from dawn till dusk, watching the sunset over the sea together. Her youthful dreams were truly remarkable and inspiring.

"Ethan, I believe people shouldn't be stuck in the past. When I first saw you, you were sprawled on the couch in the living room, reeking of alcohol. I thought you were trouble, and it scared me."

She fondly recounted the humorous incident of finding me that day, and I laughed along. It suddenly dawned on me that my entire marriage felt like a burden. Since graduation, my life had been monotonous, revolving mostly around work and Nora.

During the day, I worked at the company, and at night, I took care of Nora. She never appreciated it, and her unpredictable moods often left me anxious.

Nora regretted marrying me soon after our wedding. When I eagerly asked about getting our marriage certificate, she doused my enthusiasm with cold indifference.

She maintained our relationship only out of obligation to her father's last wishes. The house was a shrine to him, cluttered with photo frames that were glaringly intrusive.

Whenever I moved anything, even while cleaning, she would explode in anger.

The ongoing tension took a mental toll on me.

Looking at Daphne's youthful face, I let out a bitter laugh and started sharing my life story.

I'm not someone who easily opens up about my pain. Partly because I'm a grown man and partly because the relationship was so complex, I didn't know where to begin. I couldn't even recall my feelings for Nora anymore.

But Daphne was patient. She listened to my hesitant story from start to finish.

After speaking with her, I suddenly felt a sense of relief.

After returning home from our trip, we prepared to part ways. We returned to the apartment, and Daphne began packing her belongings. There was a small appliance that took some time to disassemble.

Watching her busy figure, I felt grateful for the conversation we had.

Daphne still had her dreams and freedom to pursue. I was just a passerby and friend in her life.

But I was thankful she listened and offered advice.

Who would have thought that upon entering the apartment, we would find a group of unexpected guests?

Leading them was Nora's bodyguard. He nodded politely at me and spoke.

"Mr. Ethan, Miss Nora requests your return."